Minister John Gormley launches Ireland’s first Graduate Diploma/MSc in Emergency Management at DCU
Monday 24 September 2007

Mark Wilson, Acting District officer of Emergency Training, Dublin, Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski, DCU President, Mr John Gormley TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, Prof Bernard Pierce, Executive Dean, DCUBS and Prof Brian Leavy, DCUBS

DCU Business School is now offering a new diploma and degree programme in emergency management – the first of its kind in Ireland – launched by Mr John Gormley TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government.

Against a background of Global Warming with the expectation of more frequent flooding in Ireland and worldwide, the ever present threat of foot and mouth, SARS, and bird-flu pandemics, and natural disasters like the Tsunami in the Far East and Hurricane Katrina, the need for highly skilled management of emergencies and disasters is more pressing than ever.

For those already in the emergency services or crisis planning, this programme will provide a critical path for developing skills and careers. It will also open up a career path for those who wish to contribute to modern society’s need to address the handling of natural and human-made disasters.

In a timely and unique development, DCU Business School is introducing this specialist course that will deal with handling emergencies, planning and preparedness, problem solving and decision making, the human dimension, hazardous materials, risk assessment as well as crisis communications.

Minister Gormley said that “this programme is an innovative new development in Irish education; effective emergency management is of crucial and ever-growing importance to the Irish economy and the Irish people.”

Handling emergencies has moved significantly up the Irish Government’s priority list. In 2006 a Framework for Major Emergency Management document was developed by an inter-agency review group led by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Minister Gormley’s own department.

This programme has been endorsed by the National Steering Group for Major Emergency Management, The Emergency Planning Society (Republic of Ireland Branch) and Pharmachemical Ireland as being a suitable programme to improve the emergency management skills of individuals in the public sector and private sectors.